London fog
Strong Earl Grey with steamed milk and vanilla syrup. Despite the name it is generally credited to Vancouver rather than London, and it is a café invention of the late twentieth century rather than a British tradition.
Also called Earl Grey latte, Earl Grey tea latte.
What it tastes like
Floral and vanilla-sweet, with bergamot carrying through the milk better than most tea flavourings do. Over-steeping the base pushes the bergamot towards soapiness, which milk does not hide.
What it is built on
Teas
- Earl Grey — Dominated by bergamot’s floral bitterness over whatever black tea sits beneath. A good one tastes of citrus peel; a poor one tastes of soap, and the difference is almost entirely in the oil.
Brewing method: Western brewing (teapot or mug) — A small amount of leaf in a large volume of water, steeped once for a few minutes and then strained off. The approach most English-speaking drinkers already know, and the one most teas sold in the West are made for.
Ingredients
- 120 ml Earl Grey, brewed strong
- 120 ml Steamed milk
- 10 ml Vanilla syrup
Preparation
- Step 1. Brew the Earl Grey at roughly double strength for three minutes.
- Step 2. Add vanilla syrup and stir.
- Step 3. Top with steamed milk and a little foam.
Serves 1. About 5 minutes from start to finish, including anything that has to simmer or cool.
Common mistakes
- Steeping the base longer to strengthen it, which makes the bergamot soapy
- Assuming from the name that it is a British drink
Sources
This page is TeaHQ synthesis. The proportions and the sequence are written from common practice as TeaHQ understands it, with no external source behind them, which is one more reason to read the note on regional variation as the more reliable part of the page.
This page describes how the drink is made and where it is made that way. It says nothing about what drinking it does to a person, and the quantities of milk, sugar or spice are recorded because they are part of the recipe rather than as any kind of recommendation.